Improvement in couplings for pipes of railroad-car heaters



J. W. GRAYDON. Gopling for P'ips of Railroad CafreH'eaters.'

Patented Feb. 18,1879.

N. FETEns. PHO? APHER. WASHXNGTDN. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JAMES W. GRAYDON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEGRAYDON SAFETY RAILROAD CAR HEATING COMPANY.

IMPROVEMENT lN COUPLINGS FOR PIPES 0F RAILROAD-CAR HEATERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,376, dated February18, 1879 application filed September 21, 1878.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES IV. GRAYDON, of l/Vashington, District ofColumbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in my Method forHeating Railroad-Cars, which improvement more particularly relates tothe coupling ot' the pipes between the cars, and is an improvement on myPatent No. 203,611, dated May 14, 1878, and application for improvementtiled June 27, 1878; and I do here by declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is designed to be used in coupling the pipes, and is soarranged that they will couple themselves when the cars come together,and at the same time open the pipes for the passage of steam, and whenthe cars separate the pipes uucouple and are also closed, preventing theescape of steam.

Figure l represents a longitudinal section through the coupling andpipes, showing valves V V; valve-stems S S guides G GG G for valve-stemsto move in springs D D D D to hold the coupling and pipes together;bellshaped ends F F ot the coupling; beveled edges H H on the couplingand J J on the pipes, by means of which the packings are compressed onthe pipes and the whole made steam-tight, as in Patent No. 203,611;ringprojections P P P P on the outside ot valves, on which the springscatch when the pipes are pushed into the coupling by the force -of thecars coming together; the detachable chain M, which will admit of thecoupling being transferred from one end of the car to the other.

Fig. 2 represents the platforms of two approaching cars with thecoupling and pipe in position on rests R R, which are secured to eachdraw-bar K K.

Fig. 3 represents the cars coupled up, and also the pipes. l

B B are large rings placed at right angles to the rests R R, and limitthe lateral'and foreA and-aft motion of the pipes.

The operation is as follows: The pipes ou each car being in position onthe rests R R, the cars approach each other. The bellshaped end of thecoupling guides the pipe E intoits place on the coupling, and the forceot' thecars coming together forces the pipes 'in until the springs slipover the projections P P. The beveled edges compress the packin gs,making the whole steam-tight, as shown by Patent No. 203,611.

The valve-stems being in the center of the pipesE E, their ends meet andopen the valves V V for the passage ol' steam. In uncoupling, when thecars separa-te, the pipe E is withdrawn from the coupling, and the steamfrom either car closes the valves; then the coupling and pipe fall intothe rests R R.

The springs D D D D are sutticientl y stron g to withstand the pressureofthe steam; but a greater force will slip them over the projections PP, and thus separate the pipe E from the coupling.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The coupling A, with the bell-shaped ends F F, springs D D D D, andring projections P P P P, substantially as described, and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The rests R R, secured to the draw-bars, the detachable chain M, andthe ring-guides B B, in combination with the pipe-sections,substantially as described, and for the pura pose set forth.

JAMES W. GRAYDON.

`Vitnesses I M. E. GRAYDON, W. W. McOULLoUeH.

